#148: Don’t Forget the Children: Betrayal Trauma’s Impact on the Family System

#148: Don’t Forget the Children: Betrayal Trauma’s Impact on the Family System

38:50 Feb 26, 2026
About this episode
Betrayal trauma is often talked about as a couple’s crisis, but betrayal is never contained to the marriage alone.In this episode, Hali Roderick and her daughter Morgan Ellsworth explore the often-overlooked impact of parental betrayal on children and the entire family system.As professionals in the betrayal trauma field, and as a mother and daughter who have firsthand experience, they invite listeners into an essential conversation on generational healing, witnessing, and family recovery. They discuss how children often feel the impact of betrayal in the family, without the truth to give language to their experience. Without support, they often carry confusion, self-blame, and unprocessed grief into adulthood.Together, they discuss how children often sit in an unaware and disempowered place and why compassionate witnessing, emotional validation, and developmentally appropriate disclosure are essential for restoring agency and safety.Healing is messy. It is courageous. And it is possible across generations. View the Typology of Witness Grid mentioned in this episode HERE.Join the Interest List for our upcoming course for parents: Intentional Parenting After Betrayal.Read ?Witnessing Wonder and Hope?  (?Full Study?)Connect with Morgan on Instagram and listen to her podcast, Healing Betrayed Families.You can email her directly at morgan.ellsworth98@gmail.com.Connect With Me + Continue Your HealingIf today’s episode resonated with you, you don’t have to walk the healing journey after betrayal alone. I create trauma-informed resources, conversations, and learning experiences to support individuals and couples navigating infidelity, betrayal trauma, and relational repair.Here are a few ways to stay connected and continue your healing:Join me at a Retreat or IntensiveIf you’re craving deeper, in-person support and embodied healing, I’m helping facilitate two upcoming experiences created specifically for betrayed partners. The Courage to Thrive Betrayal Trauma Intensive takes place March 17–20 in Spanish Fork, Utah and offers a str
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